Acknowledgements - gapitc

Talk, talk, talk to your two year old! Whatever you do with your child during
the day, talk about it. Your child is eager to learn the names of things and she
will learn these words from you. Practice “talk time” in everyday routines as you
prepare food, eat meals, do household chores, visit friends and family and run
your daily errands.
Keep your directions simple. Two-step directions are just right for two
year olds!
Make your requests simple and direct. If you ask your child if he wants to clean
up now, chances are the answer will be “no!” Instead of asking a question, try
“It’s time to clean up now.”
As you ride in a car or bus, describe the things you see and hear. When stopped
at a traffic light, ask your child to point to something on her side of the car. “Do
you see the school bus, Natalie? Can you point to it?”
Listening to books, as well as talking with adults, is the way your child will learn
the meaning of new words. As you read simple picture books, ask your child to
point to things that you name (“Where is the bunny?”) This will tell you what
words your child understands. The words your child speaks or signs (“Sool bus”),
show her speaking vocabulary. Children understand and can respond to more
words than they can say.
In a bilingual household, children will have the benefit of learning different words
or pronunciations for the same familiar objects, events, and greetings. Research
suggests that learning two languages is easiest in the early years.
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